Display rack



June 6.. 1967;- I I 3,323,657

DISPLAY RACK Filed June 1, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor '8 fiarrgA.Robbins J @TfiJk-,Nogm r W H Jl Hor-neggs June 6, 1%? H. A. ROBBINSEfiZFWS? DISPLAY RACK Filed June 1, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United StatesPatent 3,323,657 DHSPLAY RACK Harry A. Robbins, 1516 N. Vermilion St,

Danville, llll. 61332 I Filed June 1, 1965, Ser. No. 460,186 8 Claims.(Cl. 211-178) The present invention relates generally to racks forsupporting articles for display purposes, and more particularly to arack for displaying a plurality of articles of clothing in acomplementary relationship.

Many structures have been devised for use in clothing stores, showrooms,and the like for displaying articles of clothing. None of thesestructures, however, provides a clothing display rack which permitsconvenient and ready access to the articles being displayed, whichpermits displaying a plurality of groups of clothing articles in acoordinated complementary relationship so as to convey to theprospective purchaser a clear idea how the several matching articles ofclothing, such as coordinated ensembles of womens wear or menssportswear, will look when worn together and thereby facilitates thecustomers selection of pleasing coordinated combinations and which alsopermits the department manager to determine readily the items which areselling more rapidly and thus control inventories more efliciently.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide animproved display rack structure for more conveniently and attractivelysupporting a plurality of articles in vertically spaced relationship.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improveddisplay rack for supporting several groups of coordinated articles ofclothing to show the complementary relationship between the severalarticles of clothing.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide animproved sectional display rack which can be as sembled from detachablesections to form a display rack of variable length.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improvedclothing display rack which can readily accommodate articles of clothingof varying length and width.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an improveddisplay rack which enables the proprietor to more readily determine themovement of stock and thereby better control stock inventory. 7 Otherobjects of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled inthe art from the following detailed description and claims when read inconjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred form of a display rack ofthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the display rack shown in FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a part of the display rackshown in FIG. 1

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of another part of the display rack shownin FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a modified form of clothing rack of thepresent invention;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary top plan view of the display rack shown in FIG.6;

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view 8-8 of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is a detailed view of a modified form of support means for anarticle of clothing displayed on the rack of the preceding figures. I

The display rack of the present invention is formed of view along theline 3-3 taken along the line a plurality of detachable sections whichcan be connected in a variety of ways to provide a display rack ofvariable length and in a number of different combinations to accommodatearticles of varying length and width. In the specific embodiment shownin FIGS. l.5 of the drawing, the display rack 10 is comprised generallyof two spaced end frame sections 11 with a connector frame section 12disposed between the spaced end sections 11 and detachably connectedthereto by means of a plurality of horizontally extending arm supportbars 14, 14a and 14b arranged in tiers. At spaced points along thelength of each of the arm support bars 14, 14a and 14b are mountedhanger support means 15 for supporting clothing hangers or like deviceson which articles of clothing can be sup ported.

The end frame section 11 is formed preferably of a rear upright member16 which extends vertically the full height of the display rack lit withan articulated front section 17 formed preferably of interconnectedstep-like portions joined to the rear upright member 16 by means of aplurality of transverse horizontal brace members 18, 19, 2t) and 21. Thebrace members 19 and 20 are arranged between the top and bottom of theend frame section 11 in order to support the outer ends of bars 14 and14a at the desired height for display purposes.

Connector means are provided on the horizontal brace member 19 at apoint about one third the length thereof from the forward end and on thebrace member 20 at a point of about one-half the length thereof from theforward end for detachably securing bars 14 and 14a, respectively havingthereon flange securing means 24. The upright member 16 is also providedat a point about one fourth the length thereof from the upper endthereof with securing means 23 for detachably engaging the outer ends ofarm support bar 14b. The three arm support bars 14, 14a and 1412 aresupported in horizontally spaced tiered relationship in order to providemaximum accessibility and to best show the complementary relationship ofthe various articles of clothing on display, as will be described ingreater detail hereinafter.

While the inner end of the horizontal support bars 14, 14a and 14b can,if desired, be secured directly to another end frame section 11 in theabove described manner, it is preferable, as shown in FIGS. 1-5, wherethe end frame sections 11 are to be spaced a distance in excess of about8 feet to have two sets of bars 14, 14a and 14b each with their outerends secured to spaced end sections 11 and their inner ends secured to asingle connector frame section 12 by preferably having integrally formedtherewith securing means 24, 25, for detachably securing the inner endsof bars M, Ma and 14b to section 12, thereby forming a unitaryconnection between the spaced end frame sections 11 and the connectorframe section 12.

The unitary connector frame section 12 is comprised preferably of avertically extending rear upright member 35 of the same length as member16 and a front steplike section 36 which is formed of a horizontalmember 37 extending horizontally forwardly from the upright member 35 ata point preferably slightly above the midpoint thereof with a shortvertically downwardly extending member 38 fixedly secured to the forwardend of member 37, and a second horizontally extending member 39preferably of about the same length as member 35 having its rear endsecured to the lower end of member 37 and having at its forward end ashort vertically downwardly extending member 4i for engaging thesupporting floor surface. The forward ends of members 37 and 39 arepreferably provided on each lateral surface thereof with a connectorplate 41, 42, having spaced holes 43 drilled therein for receivingfasteners, such as bolts,

3 extending through the ends of the bars 14, 14a and 14b, therebysecurely joining the arm support bars 14, 14a and 14b with the connectorframe sections 12. The inner end of support bar 14b is mounted onupright member 35 in the same manner as the outer end is mounted onupright member 15.

It will be evident that, if desired, one or more additional connectorframe sections 12 and additional sets of bars 14, 14a and 14b can beinterposed between the spaced end frame sections 11 to provide a displayrack having the required length for any specific installation.

Each of the arm support bars 14, 14a and 14b are provided at spacedpoints along the length thereof with a hanger support means 15 which inthe preferred form comprises a short rod-like section 51 extendingvertically with a forwardly extending horizontal rod-like arm 52 securedto the upper end of section 51. The ends of the horizontal arm 52 arepreferably upturned slightly at each end, as at 53, 54, to prevent acoat hanger or other support mounted thereon accidently sliding off theends. The lower end of the rod-like section 51 can be permanentlysecured to the bars 14, 1412 or 14!) by being in serted in a passageformed therein or by being welded to the surface of bar 14. if desired,however, the lower end of the rod-like section 51 can be mounted in acollar member 56 adjustably mounted on the bars 14, 14a and 14b. Forexample, adjustable collar members 56 are shown in FIG. 4 mounted forslidable, longitudinal movement on the arm support bars 14a and 14b witha set screw 57 for holding the collar member 56 in any desired positionon the bars 14a and 14b.

The length of the rod-like sections 51 in each installation ispreferably made such that whatever the type of clothes hangers suspendedon the horizontal arm 52, the article of clothing on the hanger willhide from view the arm support bars 14, 14a and 1412. With thisarrangement of the hanger support means 15, more of the clothes on thehanger are visible and the support bars 14, 14a and 141) are notinterposed between the viewer and the clothes being displayed. Thus,both the appearance of the clothes and the rack are made moreattractive.

A modified form of hanger support means which can be mounted on the armsupport bars 14, 14a and 14b is shown in FIG. 9 of the drawing, whereina bracket mem ber 60 is comprised of a sleeve 61 for slidable andadjustable mounting on the arms 14, 14a and 14b, with a set screw 63 forsecuring the sleeve 61 at any desired position on bar 14. A hangersupport arm 62 extends forwardly from the sleeve 61. The front end ofthe arm 62 is preferably upturned as at 64 to prevent accidentalrernoval of a hanger mounted thereon.

The horizontal brace member 21 extending between the upper end of rearupright members 16 and at the upper end of the front section 17 supportsa canopy 65 which extends forwardly over the two upper support bars 14aand 14b of the display rack structure. While the canopy 65 is not anessential component of the rack structure and can be omitted, the canopy65 adds to the attractiveness of the unit and provides, if desired,space for mounting a lighting fixture for illuminating the articles ondisplay.

The end frame section 11 of the rack structure is also preferablyprovided with securing means 70 for mounting on the outer lateralsurface thereof one or more decorative panels 75 covering substantiallythe entire lateral end surfaces. The decorative panels 75 are preferablymade in open wrought iron patterns, such as scroll designs of fiatwrought iron, ornamented grey cast or malleable iron, or of open woodpanel designs which preferably do not entirely obstruct view of thearticles on display and provide an attractive appearance.

In the modified form of the invention shown in FIGS. 68, the tiereddisplay sections of FIG. 1 have the inner ends of the arm support bars14, 14a and 14b preferably having a length of between 5 and 8 feetspaced and secured to separate connector frame sections 12 and 12' whichare spaced about 4 feet apart. And, in place of the arm support bars 14,14a and 14b extending between the connector frame sections 12 and 12,there are provided one or more, and preferably a maximum of two parallelhanger support bars. In the latter modified form it will .be apparentthat the upright members 35, 35' of the connector frame sections 12, 12have secured thereto bracket supports 81, 81 respectively. The bracketsupports 81, 81 extend downwardly from a point adjacent the upper end ofmembers 35, 35, preferably to a point below the midpoint thereof. A pairof oppositely disposed brackets 84, 84' are connected to each of thebracket supports 31, 81 respectively, preferably at a point adjacent theupper ends thereof. The brackets 85, 84' each are preferably comprisedof an arm extending forwardly having support means 86 adjacent the outerend thereof for supporting the end of a horizontally extending hangersupport bar 87 from which clothes hangers or the like can be supportedin the usual manner. If desired, a second hanger support bar 87 can bemounted on a second pair of brackets similar to brackets 84, 84 attachedadjacent the lower ends of the supports 81, 81. It will be evident thata single 'bar 87 mounted on brackets 84, 84 secured adjacent the upperends of bracket supports 81, 81' would be used where it is necessary tosupport long garments requiring full length viewing. A second hangersupport bar 87 would be used, however, where two rows of merchandise arerequired to show articles of clothing such as extra blouses, sweaters,jackets or ski coats, which are related to the articles displayed on thetiered racks. It will be evident that the bracket supports 81, 81 can bedispensed with entirely and the upright members 35, 35' slotted atspaced points along the front edge thereof to receive the brackets 84 or84 directly to provide a wide range of adjustability for garments ofdifferent lengths. Also, if desired, one or more sections of theintermediate and long garment support sections can be incorporated atany position between the end frame sections 11 in the display rack ofthe present invention. Thus, without departing from the scope of thepresent invention, a display rack installation can be made with the longgarment support section interposed with the tiered bars 14, 14a and 14bor a tiered :bar section can be formed between two long garment supportsections having their outer ends attached to the end frame sections 11.

While the tiered display racks specifically illustrated are comprised ofthree tiered hanger support bars it is possible to provide only two orfour or more tiered support bars in any installation, depending on thetype and size of the articles being displayed, without departing fromthe scope of the present invention.

I claim:

1. A sectional displace rack which comprises; spaced end frame sectionshaving connector means comprising a plurality of horizontal support barsconnecting said end frame sections and forming a unitary assembly, saidsupport bars being disposed in tiered relationship with the lowermost ofsaid bars disposed at the front of said rack and the uppermost of saidbars disposed at the back of said rack, said support bars having hangersupport arms mounted at spaced points therealong, and said hangersupport arms comprising a vertical member extending upwardly from saidsupport bars and a horizontal arm member extending forwardly from theupper end of said vertical member and adapted to support thereon aplurality of article hangers with articles supported thereon for displaypurposes.

2. A display rack as in claim 1, wherein the hanger support arm on anyone of said support bars lies in the same vertical plane as the hangersupport arms on the support bar which is in tiered arrangementtherewith.

3. A display rack as in claim 1, wherein said hanger support arms aremounted on said support bar for ad justable longitudinal movement alongthe length of said support bar.

4. A display rack as in claim 1, wherein a said hanger support arm hasthe vertical member of a length suflicient for an article when suspendedon a said article hanger which is supported by the said horizontal armmember to completely conceal the said support bar on which the saidhanger support arm is mounted.

5. A display rack as in claim 1, wherein said connector means hasdisposed between said end frame sections at least one connector framesection having at least one end of said support bars connected therewithand forming a unitary assembly with said end frame sections.

6. A display rack as in claim 5, wherein a separate connector framesection is connected to each said spaced end frame section by aplurality of said connector support bars, said connector frame sectionsbeing spaced and having mounted on vertical upright members thereof apair of oppositely disposed brackets, and a secondary support bar havingthe opposite ends thereof engaged by and supported between saidbrackets.

7. A display rack as in claim 5, wherein two pairs of said brackets aresupported by said connector frame sec tions in vertically spacedrelationship with the lower of said pair of brackets supporting a bar ina generally horizontal plane and forwardly of the bar supported by theupper of said pair of brackets.

8. A display rack as in claim 7, wherein said brackets are supported bya pair of spaced bracket support means secured to the most rearwardlydisposed vertical upright member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 922,063 5/ 1909 Str-oock et al-420 2,059,445 11/ 1936 Eastman 211'60 2,665,869 1/1954 Samuels 211-592,783,961 3/ 1957 Weber 248-243 2,919,818 1/1960 Clegg et al. 211-1783,119,497 1/ 1964 Levy 211-178 3,208,598 9/1965 Glassenberg 21149CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner. W. D. LOULAN, AssistantExaminer.

1. A SECTIONAL DISPLACE RACK WHICH COMPRISES; SPACED END FRAME SECTIONSHAVING CONNETOR MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF HORIZONTAL SUPPORT BARSCONNECTING SAID END FRAME SECTIONS AND FORMING A UNITARY ASSEMBLY, SAIDSUPPORT BARS BEING DISPOSED IN TIERED RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LOWERMOST OFSAID BARS DISPOSED AT THE FRONT OF SAID RACK AND THE UPPERMOST OF SAIDBARS DISPOSED AT THE BACK OF SAID RACK, SAID SUPPORT BARS HAVING HANGERSUPPORT ARMS MOUNTED AT SPACED POINTS THEREALONG, AND SAID HANGERSUPPORT ARMS COMPRISING A VERTICAL MEMBER EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAIDSUPPORT BARS AND A HORIZONTAL ARM MEMBER EXTENDING FORWARDLY FROM THEUPPER END OF SAID VERTICAL MEMBER AND ADAPTED TO SUPPORT THEREON APLURALITY OF ARTICLE HANGERS WITH ARTICLES SUPPORTED THEREON FOR DISPLAYPURPOSES.